Several Questions Will Be Answered In 2004
Tim Parry
Monday February 2, 2004
After a short hiatus between the 2002 and 2003 seasons, thanks to a schedule switch that catered to broadcast partner NBC, the league had a real off-season. It included the addition of new teams and cities, as well as some big free agent pickups and trades.
Of course the off-season brings a lot of questions that will have to be answered. Here are just a few of them.
What on-field rule change will have the biggest impact on the game?
Last season, if a defensive player was drawn offside, the offense received five yards and an automatic first down. This season, it is reduced back to a five-yard penalty with no automatic first down unless there was less than five yards to go to get another set of downs.
Off the field, what rule modification will change the face of the game?
Last season, 12 of the 16 teams made the playoffs. This year, it will be cut down to eight teams, although the league expanded to 19 teams with the addition of Austin, New Orleans and Philadelphia. Also, division winners are not guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, so teams like the New York Dragons, who won seven of their last eight last season to finish .500 and win the Eastern Division, will have to have success right from the get-go.
Which off-season trade will help which team the most?
Clint Dolezel’s trade to the Las Vegas Gladiators gives head coach Frank Haege one of the league’s most consistent quarterbacks. With a group of seasoned veterans catching the ball, Dolezel should make Las Vegas’s offense one of the tops in the league.
Now that they seem to be lost forever to the NFL, who replaces Antonio Chatman in Chicago and Mike Furrey in New York?
The Chicago Rush also have a new weapon at quarterback in Raymond Philyaw, and he is very familiar with Jeremy McDaniel, who was his teammate in Indiana. The only player on New York’s roster designated as an OS is rookie Richmond Flowers, who has yet to set foot on the field. However, QB Aaron Garcia’s two favorite targets appear to be WR/DB William Holder and WR/LB Chris Anthony.
Which of the three expansion teams will make the most noise?
The Philadelphia Soul will be the loudest, and that’s not just because Jon Bon Jovi is at the helm. They have a very experienced coaching staff, led by Michael Trigg, and they performed very well in their scrimmage with the Dragons. QB Nick Browder, who played for Trigg in Grand Rapids, has great receivers in OS Tyrone Jones and WR/DB Ricky Ross.
Can the Tampa Bay Storm repeat as ArenaBowl champions?
It’s tough for any team to repeat as a champion in any league, but the Storm cannot be counted out. Sure, QB John Kaleo, WR/DB Keita Crespina and DS Corey Sawyer are gone, but Tim Marcum’s squad, thanks to depth at all positions, is always able to reload.
Who will replace Michael Irvin in NBC’s studio show?
Irvin went from Dallas Desperados color commentator to the NBC studio show to the big time with ESPN. It is safe to say he’s irreplaceable, since a league official told me Al Trautwig and Glenn Parker will be replaced by a guest on a weekly basis.
Will the league continue to expand in 2005?
Bud Adams has Nashville back in the league, and most likely Daniel Snyder’s Washington Warriors will join the second coming of the Kats. Boston has long been considered an expansion possibility, but the league will certainly hear from cities all the way from Beantown to Tucson, Arizona.
Tim Parry is a veteran Arena Football writer whose work has appeared in several print and online publications. After coordinating AFL coverage for one website for the past three seasons, he now does the same for his own website, Football Galore.
